


The Star-Spangled Man With a Plan

by BeccaAnne814



Series: Steve Rogers x Reader Oneshots [18]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Probably a curse word or two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 10:23:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22506796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaAnne814/pseuds/BeccaAnne814
Summary: The 4th of July is America’s favorite holiday, so of course they want to celebrate with America’s Favorite Son.  But it’s also Steve’s birthday and he just wants to spend it with you.
Relationships: Steve Rogers x Reader
Series: Steve Rogers x Reader Oneshots [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/772464
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	The Star-Spangled Man With a Plan

**Steve Rogers x Reader**

**Summary** – The 4th of July is America’s favorite holiday, so of course they want to celebrate with America’s Favorite Son. But it’s also Steve’s birthday and he just wants to spend it with you.

**Warnings** – Fluff. . .probably a curse word or two

**Word Count** – 1.4K

**Notes:** At the end

_ ** [Masterlist](https://beccaanne814.tumblr.com/post/174989754188/masterlist) ** _

[[MORE]]

The Stars and Stripes.

Old Glory.

The Star-Spangled Banner.

Uncle Sam.

Red, White, and Blue.

Captain America.

The Fourth of July meant a lot of things to Americans—Independence Day, cookouts, parades, and fireworks. To Steve Rogers it was more than just the nation's birthday—it was his birthday as well. When Colonel Phillips had found out Steve had been born on the Fourth of July, he'd shook his head and muttered something about Fate playing another joke on him.

It had never bothered Steve before that he shared his birthday with America, but that was before he'd taken up the shield. He'd been to busy with HYDRA back in the forties to pay much attention to the fame he'd acquired, but now that he'd been thrust into the twenty-first century—complete with internet and social media—he'd finally realized that his birthday was no longer his to celebrate as he wished. Gone were the days where he and Bucky would head to Coney Island to ride rollercoasters and watching the fireworks from the pier. Now there were parades in his honor, and photo ops that forced him to plaster a fake smile on his face for hours at a time.

Everywhere he looked was some version of the flag. From the elaborate window displays in the department stores they passed along the parade route to the small hand-held flags clutched in the sticky hands of children as they squealed in delight to see their favorite hero in person. Patriotism had increased in the wake of his return—and for that Steve was glad—but it also meant that he rarely got a moment to himself, and especially not on his birthday.

The mayor of New York City had planned every minute of Steve's day from the Veterans' breakfast at the VFW all the way to the fireworks at the end of the evening. He loved inspiring hope in his fellow Americans, but there was a part of him that just wanted to go back to the Tower and crawl into bed.

When the fireworks were finally over and he'd eaten his last hot dog, he'd finally been given the green light to leave. YN had been by his side for the entire day, so at least he'd had one friendly face that wasn't demanding something of him every second. She'd been kind enough to pack a change of clothes for him, so he was able to slip through the crowd unnoticed once his duties for the day were completed. He always found it strange that no one seemed to recognize him without the familiar red, white, and blue uniform, but it just went to show that they didn't really see him as a person—he would always just be Captain America to them.

YN saw him, though. It didn't matter if he donned the uniform or not, she always looked for the man behind the cowl. That's why he loved her. To her, he was always just Steve—the kid from Brooklyn, and he knew that when the day came for him to retire, she'd be right by his side to ride off into the sunset with him.

Tony had provided them with a car, and they were both glad they didn't have to fight public transportation after the grueling day they'd just endured. As Happy drove them from the fairgrounds back to the Tower, Steve leaned back and closed his eyes as he pulled YN closer to him.

"I just want to go home and go to bed," he whispered to her. "How does that sound?"

She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss—mindful of Happy watching in the rear view mirror. "I can't think of anything else I'd rather do."

She could see the lines of exhaustion etched into his handsome features as they exited the car in the well-lit garage under the Tower. Steve hated to disappoint the public, but the Avengers had been busy the past few months, and none of them were getting a lot of downtime. She wished he'd said no to the festivities, but she knew he would've felt guilty all day if he hadn't honored the requests of the mayor.

They left Happy at the elevator and headed up to their floor. As the car silently ascended, Steve pulled her into his arms and just held onto her. These were the moments she loved the most—just the two of them wrapped in one another's arms like a normal couple.

When the doors slid open, she felt Steve stiffen. "What's wrong?"

"The elevator stopped at the common room," he told her as she pulled away from him to look behind her.

The room beyond was completely dark and there was no one waiting by the elevator to enter. Her brow furrowed as she looked back at Steve to gauge his reaction.

He touched a hand to her shoulder to indicate that she should stay in the car while he went out to investigate. She hated being left behind like some damsel in distress, so she waited a beat before following him out.

He was as stealthy as a cat hunting his prey as he crept into the seemingly empty room. The hair on the back of her neck started to rise and she knew they weren't alone.

All at once, the lights flicked on and the entire team jumped out from their hiding places to yell "Surprise." YN's hand went to her heart as she felt the breath in her lungs catch. She was focused on thoughts of murdering their friends, but something about the room gave her pause. 

"It looks like the American flag puked all over this room," she observed with a grimace as she turned to look at the rest of the Avengers. Seeing them clearly for the first time, she drew up short with a look of horror on her face. "What in the hell are you all wearing?"

Steve looked over at her. "I was just about to ask the same thing."

"You know you're jealous," Sam teased as he handed them both a package wrapped in festive red, white, and blue paper.

"It's not my birthday," she reminded Sam as she shook the thin box next to her ear.

"We didn't want you to feel left out," Nat said with a smirk as she plopped down on the couch and watched YN and Steve open their gifts.

Resigning herself to the inevitable, she tore open the paper at the same time as Steve. Pulling open the lids, neither one of them were shocked to find matching Captain America pajamas just like their friends were currently wearing.

"We're having a sleepover," Tony announced with a clap of his hands.

Rhodey emerged from the kitchen carrying a large sheet cake decorated with an American flag and what appeared to be a hundred candles.

Clint followed closely behind Rhodey with a bucket of ice cream and a stack of plates and utensils. "We have cake, ice cream, and a stack of patriotic themed movies to binge."

"I had no part in planning this party," Bruce announced as he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Please don't blame me for any of this."

YN looked over at Steve to see how he was handling this turn of events, and she was pleasantly surprised to see a look of wonder in his eyes. How long had it been since he'd had friends to celebrate his birthday with him?

He leaned over and blew out all the candles on the cake. "Okay, you guys cut that while YN and I go change." He grabbed her hand and started pulling her toward the elevator again. "Which movie are we watching first? I say we start with Independence Day—it's a classic even if it hits a little too close to home these days."

When they were back on the elevator again, YN turned to him and rested her hands on his chest. "Tell me the truth—do you want to go back down there?"

He let out a tired breath and dropped his head. "It's not fireworks over the Coney Island pier, but they're our friends—our family—and you spend your birthday with the ones you love."

She gave him a long look. "It's the pajamas, right? You just want an excuse to put on the pajamas."

"Are you kidding me?" he asked with a laugh. "These are the best things I've ever seen."

_______________

_Thank you for reading this story! I hope you enjoyed it! When I first read the prompt, I immediately knew it was going to be a Steve fic centered on the Red, White, and Blue. What did you think of their surprise for Steve? Can’t you just see Bruce standing there looking miserable in an adult version of footie pajamas? I look forward to your comments!_

If you liked this story, please consider reblogging, and if you have any questions, my _[inbox](https://beccaanne814.tumblr.com/ask)_ is always open! 


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